In rubber processing technology extrusion and/or rolling machines must be supplied with the mixture which emerges from the mixing machines, for example, so-called internal mixers. It is also known that the rolling and/or extrusion machines operate substantially continuously, while the mixers operate with substantially discontinuous cycles.
In the art machines and apparatus are known which are specially designed to remove as quickly as possible the batch leaving the internal mixers and to feed the material with continuity and at a predetermined throughput to the extrusion and/or rolling machine.
Such machines of the known type are based on the use of cylindrical or conical augers which are arranged with a substantially horizontal axis or are slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal, these having certain defects including the fact that said conical augers must be designed so as to be of the so-called "inter-penetrating" type, in order to obtain the necessary thrusting of the batch towards the following extrusion and/or rolling machine. Being of the inter-penetrating type, the augers cannot be independent, but must be perfectly dimensioned and synchronized with one another so as to avoid breakage and/or malfunctions. This requires the provision of complicated mechanisms which in addition to being costly and reducing the reliability of the machine, also hinder the maintenance and cleaning operations when the machine is at standstill.
A machine of this type is for example known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,764,020.